TY - JOUR T1 - Bronchodilation in infants with malacia or recurrent wheeze JF - Archives of Disease in Childhood JO - Arch Dis Child SP - 246 LP - 249 DO - 10.1136/adc.88.3.246 VL - 88 IS - 3 AU - W Hofhuis AU - E C van der Wiel AU - H A W M Tiddens AU - G Brinkhorst AU - W P J Holland AU - J C de Jongste AU - P J F M Merkus Y1 - 2003/03/01 UR - http://adc.bmj.com/content/88/3/246.abstract N2 - Background: Controversy remains regarding the effectiveness of bronchodilators in wheezy infants. Aims: To assess the effect of inhaled β2 agonists on lung function in infants with malacia or recurrent wheeze, and to determine whether a negative effect of β2 agonists on forced expiratory flow (V′maxFRC) is more pronounced in infants with airway malacia, compared to infants with wheeze. Methods: We retrospectively analysed lung function data of 27 infants: eight with malacia, 19 with recurrent wheeze. Mean (SD) age was 51 (18) weeks. Mean V′maxFRC (in Z score) was assessed before and after inhalation of β2 agonists. Results: Baseline V′maxFRC was below reference values for both groups. Following inhalation of β2 agonists the mean (95% CI) change in mean V′maxFRC in Z scores was −0.10 (−0.26 to 0.05) and −0.33 (−0.55 to −0.11) for the malacia and wheeze group, respectively. Conclusions: In infants with wheeze, inhaled β2 agonists caused a significant reduction in mean V′maxFRC. Infants with malacia were not more likely to worsen after β2 agonists than were infants with recurrent wheeze. ER -